Long-distance livestock transport causes significant welfare harm — scientific evidence supports strict journey time limits and rest stop requirements.
Livestock transport is an unavoidable part of most production systems, but the duration, conditions, and management of transport vary enormously in their welfare impact. Scientific evidence consistently shows that transport stress — from deprivation of food and water, unfamiliar surroundings, vehicle motion, and social disruption — begins within the first few hours and compounds over time. Current EU journey limits of up to 29 hours for cattle are regarded by welfare scientists as excessively long. The alternative of slaughter close to production and transport of chilled carcasses rather than live animals achieves equivalent commercial outcomes with dramatically lower welfare costs. Several NGOs and some governments are actively pushing for stricter journey limits.